What's HepCAPpening?

• The World Hepatitis Alliance offered a series of masterclasses on World Hepatitis Day (July 28). Organizations shared case studies of successful advocacy and outreach activities. Click here to view the reports, and learn helpful tips!
  • Examples of case studies included: running a testing event, running a campaign, engaging at-risk communities, working with celebrities, and holding conference. 
• Check out this special communication written by two of HepCAP's proud clinical sponsors, Dr. Simoncini and Dr. Koren! The article reviews HCV treatment resources, discusses data demonstrating similar cure rates between PCPs and specialists, and argues that capacity-building among PCPs will be necessary to control the HCV epidemic (Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine).
• A federal appeals court kept alive a lawsuit brought by Mumia Abu-Jamal, that alleges his rights were violated when was denied hepatitis C drugs while serving a life sentence in prison. Read more on CBS News.
  • Former black panther Abu-Jamal, who was convicted for killing a Philadelphia police officer in 1981, argued that the initial denial of treating him with two anti-hepatitis drugs violated his constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The court decision means he has the right to sue the Corrections Department.
• On World Hepatitis Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on countries to take advantage of recent reductions in the costs of diagnosing and treating viral hepatitis and invest in disease elimination. Read more on here on WHO's website. 
  • “On World Hepatitis Day, we’re calling for bold political leadership, with investments to match. We call on all countries to integrate services for hepatitis into benefit packages as part of their journey towards universal health coverage,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 
• Hepatitis A is spreading through poop on the streets, and Philly is betting public bathrooms can stem the outbreak. Read the full article from Plan Philly here!  
• Check out The Caring Ambassadors Program's newly released video, 'The Time is Now,' about curing Hepatitis C! The more people who know that access is easier than ever, the closer we are to elimination. 
• Our Town Hall in North Philly took place on June 20th at the Philadelphia Recovery Community Center. 
  • **A full meeting summary and discussion takeaways for the Town Hall are online. Click here to read the run-down of our presentations and what we discussed.** 
  • Join the mailing list to be updated on the date of our next meeting, and look out for information about how to join the steering committee. 
• Follow us on Instagram and on Twitter to see more!
  • Our #HepCAPHepFACTS photo campaign features local HCV champions and allies highlighting what Philly needs to know about hepatitis C. Have an important HCV message you want us to spread or a Hep Hero to highlight? Reach out to hepcap.philly@gmail.com!

• Access to care 
  • This special communication reviews HCV treatment resources, discusses data demonstrating similar cure rates between PCPs and specialists, and argues that capacity-building among PCPs will be necessary to control the HCV epidemic (Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine)
    • Dr. Simoncini and Dr. Koren, the authors of this editorial, are two of HepCAP's proud clinical partners!  
  • Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal spent 5 years fighting for access to hepatitis C treatment in prison.  On July 19, a federal appeals court gave upheld his right to sue the Corrections Department for denying him treatment. 
  • Pharmacist-Driven Hep C Treatment Sees Good Cure Rates (Hepmag)
  • Telemedicine takes focus in study of HCV treatment in New York methadone centers (Healio)
  • Hahnemann University Hospital is closing. Read the FAQ from Hahnemann here, detailing procedures for the timeline and next steps if you are a patient.  
    • Drexel University president announces job losses for clinical faculty, staff due to Hahnemann closure (Philadelphia Inquirer) 
    • Hahnemann announces timeline for shutdown; ER closes entirely Aug. 16 (Philadelphia Inquirer)
    • Closing Hahnemann could deprive some struggling neighborhoods of a key safety net (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Harm reduction, drug use & overdose prevention  
  • 'Where The Need Is:' Drexel Study Shows Kensington Residents In Favor of Overdose Prevention Sites (Philadelphia Weekly)
  • When Harm Reduction Expansion Stifles Activism: A Lesson From Europe (Filter.org)
  • Drug Policy Alliance Contributes to Extensive Amicus Brief Effort Supporting Attempt to Establish Supervised Consumption Site in Philadelphia (Drug Policy Alliance)
  • Philadelphia-area hospitals say the opioid crisis remains the region’s top health priority (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• State-level updates 
  • Hepatitis A is spreading through poop on the streets. Philly is betting public bathrooms can stem the outbreak (Plan Philly)
  • Washington: CMS approves Washington plan for hepatitis C drug subscription deals (Modern Healthcare)
  • Louisiana's Experiment Paying For Hepatitis C Drugs: Lessons For Other States, Other Treatments? (Forbes)
• National updates 
  • **Providers! Help HealthHCV evaluate national provider needs and help shape a robust suite of education offerings on HCV prevention, care, and treatment.** Take the annual survey on the state of HCV care. 

• Register for the Southeastern PA Treatment Overdose Prevention Seminar, September 12, 2019! Hosted by the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition, Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Caron Treatment Centers, this seminar will equip treatment providers with the necessary skills & education to implement overdose prevention strategies within their addiction treatment programs. Find out more information, and register here!
• Register for the Fast Track Cities 2019 Conference, the first conference of more than 270 cities and municipalities that are accelerating their responses to HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis. The conference will take place in London September 8 - 11. It aims to highlight successes achieved across the Fast-Track Cities network, address cross-cutting challenges faced by local stakeholders, and share best practices in accelerating urban AIDS responses, inclusive of co-infectious diseases and comorbid conditions. Find out more informa6ion, and register here!
• Register for the 2019 PA Harm Reduction Conference, a 2-day statewide conference on October 28th and 29th in Harrisburg to discuss cutting edge research and evidence-based solutions to the overdose epidemic. Find out more info and register here!
  • HepCAP co-chair Dr. Trooskin will be speaking about HCV management for addiction providers, among many others! View the agenda and speakers here. 
• Want to contribute to national health research? The All of Us Research Program is an exciting initiative from the National Institutes of Health.  The goal is simple: to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs by building one of the largest health databases of its kind.  To do this, the PA research program is helping NIH meet their enrollment goal of one million participants. Find out more info and how to register here.

• Outcomes of Treatment for Hepatitis C in Primary Care, Compared to Hospital-based Care: A Randomized, Controlled Trial in People Who Inject Drugs (Clinical Infectious Diseases) 
• Maternal Hepatitis B or C and the Long-Term Risk of Gastrointestinal Morbidity for Offspring: A Population-Based Cohort Study (Liver International) 
• Sofosbuvir/ Velpatasvir ofr 12 Weeks in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Dialysis (Journal of Hepatology) 
• The Rocky Road to Viral Hepatitis Eliminations: Assuring Access to Antiviral Therapy for ALL Coinfected Patients from Low- to High- Income Settings (Journal of the International AIDS Society) 
• Too Many People with Viral Hepatitis Are Diagnosed Late - With Dire Consequences (Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology)
• Association of Antiviral Therapy With Risk of Parkinson Disease in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection (JAMA Neurology) 
• Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of persons who experienced spontaneous hepatitis C viral clearance (BMC Infectious Disease)
• Estimated Changes in Manufacturer and Health Care Organization Revenue Following List Price Reductions for Hepatitis C Treatments (JAMA)
• Scaling Up Hepatitis C Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Achieving Elimination in the United States: A Rural and Urban Comparison (American Journal of Epidemiology)

• Resource: The World Hepatitis Alliance offered a series of masterclasses through its World Hepatitis Day website, in which organizations share case studies of successful advocacy and outreach activities. Look at the masterclasses for helpful tips! 
• Resource: Global State of Harm Reduction Briefing on Hepatitis C and People Who Use Drugs (pdf)
• Resource: Sharps disposal safety guide from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (pdf)
• Resource: Information on Philly's Summer Meal Hotline, which provides free meals to kids and teens 18 and under, is located in this pdf and at phillysummermeals.org-- call 1-855-252-MEAL or text FOOD to 877877 to find your nearest site. 
• Resource: Find out where you can get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B-- use this map to locate the most convenient pharmacy for you. (HepCAP.org)
• Resource: Changing the Narrative is a network of reporters, researchers, academics, and advocates concerned about the way  media represents drug use and addiction. Their Resources page contains information on stigmatizing language and narratives.
• Resource: End HepC SF put together SEX-C, a brochure of tips to understanding and preventing sexual transmission of HCV. (pdf)
• Training: The Health Department Staff will be at Lillian Marrero Branch Library on Tuesday, August 13, from 12pm - 3pm to answer questions about Philadelphia's opioid epidemic, provide drug overdose training, and distribute Narcan. Find out more information here.
• Training: Community Liver Alliance is offering a CME training on Treating Hepatitis C in Primary Care settings.
• Webinars: Join NASTAD on August 8 from 2pm-3pm for a webinar on Hepatitis A and B Vaccination for Gay and Bisexual Men: Innovative Practices and New Resources. 
• Webinars: HepCURE's Archived Webinars include presentations of Hepatitis C prior authorization, automated screening of hepatitis B & C in the ER, and an overview of Non-injection Drug Use and Hepatitis C.